Uganda roads: A A problem-focused political bl f d liti l - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Uganda roads:

A bl f d liti l A problem-focused political economy exercise using a economy exercise using a ‘layered’ approach

Presentation to Joint Donor Workshop, Analysing Governance and Political Economy in Sectors, London, 5-6 Nov 2009 Stefan Kossoff (DFID) and David Booth (ODI) ( ) ( )

How was it problem focused? How was it problem focused?

Big changes in the Uganda roads sector in 2008 Big changes in the Uganda roads sector in 2008

• National Roads Authority and Road Fund launched after

10 years of preparation

• Large increase in sector budget; big EC grant and major

WB loan in the pipeline

• N ti

l d id tifi d b ll bi di t i t

• National roads identified by all as a binding constraint on

growth

DFID keen to support/complement these efforts on a DFID keen to support/complement these efforts on a

large scale but not sure how

• Governance and other institutional issues recognised as

g critical

• Needed: criteria for decisions about taking opportunities

and managing constraints

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and managing constraints

How was the political economy ‘layered’?

Understanding behaviour by identifying

systemic constraints:

structural settings, historical legacies, power relations and institutions (rules) structural settings, historical legacies, power relations and institutions (rules) Understanding institutions in terms of

actors’ decision logics and choices

Locating the room-for-manoeuvre arising from

dynamic features of change processes dynamic features of change processes

What were the conclusions? What were the conclusions?

Layer 1: the search for political rents likely to remain a Layer 1: the search for political rents likely to remain a

powerful negative factor, so effects of institutional reform + new resources will be severely blunted

Layer 2: Stakeholders with interest in real change do

exist but face major problems of collective action – t i l l j typical logjam

Layer 3: Nonetheless, scope for donor-supported action

to tip the balance ‘against the odds’ faciliation and to tip the balance against the odds – faciliation and brokering of interactive change

DFID rules permit such an approach and there are DFID rules permit such an approach, and there are

precedents

Needs a ‘process design’ and plenty of the right human Needs a process design and plenty of the right human

resources

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How helpful to the sector specialists?

An ongoing drama – programme design still being

negotiated

The current political economy of UK aid is not very

friendly to process designs or spending on human resources

Nevertheless, the layered approach demonstrated the

potential of political economy analysis to generate more potential of political economy analysis to generate more than dire warnings and dismal prospects

In the respect DFID’s political economy work is coming In the respect, DFID s political economy work is coming

• f age

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